by Rabbi Avi Billet
When Man was first put into the garden of Eden, we are told his task was לעבדה ולשמרה (2:15). The typical explanation of this dedicated life is to work the garden and to guard it.
Work it? For whom? [It didn’t need tending!] Guard it? From whom?
Netziv (Rabbi Naphtali Zvi Yehuda Berlin) explains that these words, עבודה and שמירה, refer to Serving God and observing mitzvos, and that the purpose of the garden was one of spiritual pursuit. The human in the garden was to be an earthly equivalent of an angel, doing God’s will in a non-heavenly setting. Mankind didn’t even have a need to eat or engage in any worldy activities – similar to the existence Moshe Rabbenu had when he was on the top of Mt. Sinai for 40 days.
This suggestion argues for the Garden to be much more than a place for Mankind to “hang out.” While the clarity of man’s purpose is not made clear to us in the text in a very detailed way, beyond Woman being referred to as an Ezer (Chapter Two’s outlined purpose for Man is noted above, Chapter One’s purpose suggests Mankind’s role in the world is to dominate the animal kingdom), we simply don’t know if it may have been made more clear to humanity eventually because the timeline of the narrative we are given of Eden doesn’t account for much activity or passage of time. Whatever might have happened in Eden was cut short due to a few bites of Forbidden Fruit.
A life purpose for humanity becomes more clear at the expulsion from the Garden when Woman is told of her relationships to the snake (the Evil Inclination), her husband, her children (e.g. birthing labor), and Man is told of his relationship to the ground, to manual labor, and to mortality. However, the purposes as outlined in 3:15-19 is much more a function of their no longer being in the garden, than what would have been their initial purpose.
Just to bring one example, there are sources which discuss the process and length of human gestation, birth, and speed of growth to maturity. What would that have looked like had they been in the garden?
Perhaps we can argue against Netziv’s supposition, suggesting that Adam did need to protect the forbidden fruit from the snake, or protect his “Ezer” from falling under the serpent’s spell. Had he done a better job of “Shmirah” (guarding) through his “Avodah” (labors), perhaps the sin which caused the expulsion might have been avoided!
And yet, God knew He was creating humans who had free choice. He knew that in creating Woman, God was creating a being that was different from Adam, with her own thoughts, and with her own ability to choose – or perhaps be swayed – differently from Adam.
Perhaps God knew that Eden was an experiment, and the only real question of Eden would be “how long would they last?”
Chasam (Rabbi Moshe) Sofer suggests that God was going to allow them to eat from the tree - on Shabbos! This plan was voided by the intrusion of the snake a little too early. The reason it was forbidden on Friday but was to be permitted on Shabbos was because during the week, the human who is made from dust is very similar to an animal. Eating from a Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil has him process the information gleaned from the Tree’s fruit from more animal-like eyes. This makes his future choices more animal-like as they are informed by that aspect of his existence.
But a person who is created in God’s image is supposed to be much more than an animal, and on Shabbos, when a person is given an extra soul – a Neshama Yesay’rah – the person eating from the Tree of Knowledge would have processed the information gotten from the tree in order to become more spiritual and closer to God.
In this light, the task as outlined by Netziv can really inform what our ideal kind of task is, and specifically how Shabbos can enhance that ideal exponentially.
While everyone understands certain aspects of our human experience, such as the need for relationships, the need to be active – whether in work or in other forms of activity, the desire to be healthy, it remains true that the strength we get from one another in the human-relationships realm, the ability to be self-reliant when in good health, and from aiming to better ourselves emotionally, spiritually, physically, intellectually, philosophically, etc. at all times are what makes us human, separate from and superior to animals, able to reflect and resolve to make the purpose of our existence meaningful to each of us – different for each person, but still giving us a sense of what gets us up each day to face each day for the new opportunities it gives to us.
May we be so blessed, at this new beginning our restarting of the Torah gives us, to challenge ourselves to learn more, and to make every day more meaningful than the previous one, so our own efforts of לעבדה ולשמרה prove to be what gives us the greatest connection with the Almighty we have achieved to date, always looking forward to the next opportunity we will have to reach ever higher.
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